for you, your home and the planet

Category: Garden

Harvesting rainwater from your roof during wet weather and storing it in a container to water your precious plants during a dry spell is a great idea. Rainwater is better for your plants than tap water and if you are on a water meter you could save money too. Some people have been put off the idea of adding a water butt to their garden … Continue reading Decorative Water Butts

Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems – better known as SUDS – are designed to lower the risks of flooding in any particular area by creating more efficient means of draining water from areas prone to flooding without over-filling our existing drainage system. A significant contributor to the issue of flooding is the continual expansion and densification of urban areas. These town and city areas tend to … Continue reading How could Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems prevent Flooding Disasters?

Rainwater harvesting is an eco-friendly and cost-effective way to save rainwater for non-drinking uses. The average home in the UK uses roughly 150 litres of water each day, but just 3% of that is used for drinking or cooking. Properly filtered rainwater can be used for all sorts of things such as toilet flushing, clothes washing, cleaning, and gardening. With a properly installed rainwater harvesting system in the home, families are able to use up … Continue reading What is rainwater harvesting, and why is it useful?

A number of organisations are involved in designing the waterworks of a new development. Planners, the Local Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) Adoption Board, designers, and civil specialists all have to come to a consensus on what’s best for the project. It’s important that self-builders know the technical issues involved, and that they share the vision of how their project will benefit from the water-related work, … Continue reading Rainwater Harvesting and Sustainable Drainage Systems

Permaculture is all about living harmoniously with our natural environment. Centred on growing food that is native and beneficial to the local area, permaculture also includes everything from sustainable building and renewable energy, to entertainment and waste management. Self-sufficiency Living a strict permaculture lifestyle would mean achieving total self-sufficiency, but there is plenty about the permaculture way of living that everyone can take something from. … Continue reading What is Permaculture?

Most gardens follow a similar design, with a few shrubs around the edges and a large area of cut grass set between them. A permaculture garden makes much more of your outdoor space, allowing you to grow food and provide habitats for wildlife right on your doorstep! You can do this alone or as part of a group, like the Transition Towns that are cropping … Continue reading Grow a Permaculture Garden

You’ve probably come across the term ‘transition towns’, but even as the term becomes more and more common, lots of us still don’t really know what the whole transition thing is about. What is a transition town? Transition towns expand upon Permaculture, a sustainable way of living which combines a sense of community with a greater environmental conscience. Transition towns are made of things such … Continue reading What are Transition Towns?

On Sunday 22nd June, I delivered a couple of pots of paint to Gary at Denmark Farm Conservation Centre. We don’t ordinarily make personal deliveries from Celtic Sustainables, but when it makes sense then we’re more than happy to! It just happened that I’d already planned earlier on in the week to spend my Sunday volunteering at the Centre when Gary ordered his paint, and … Continue reading Ben’s volunteering Blog: Day One at Denmark Farm Conservation Centre

Peat is an important part of the ecosystem here in the UK, and since we’ve become a nation of such keen gardeners our supplies have been dwindling. Peat provides a home for all kinds of creatures from dragonflies to pheasants, and as a 1 cm layer takes around 10 years to form it is highly unsustainable. Thankfully, responsible gardeners have plenty of alternatives to choose … Continue reading A Gardener’s alternatives to Peat

Biomass fuel is about to become even more sustainable, as producers are being urged to register their businesses on the government’s brand new biomass suppliers list (BSL). The list will tie in to the renewable heat incentive (RHI), making sure that claimants buy from listed businesses if they want their cash incentive. This will help Ofgem, which is putting the list together, to reassure themselves … Continue reading Biomass Fuel becomes more Sustainable with Biomass Suppliers List (BSL)